Strong & Wilde

by L. G. Castillo

  As if sensing my presence, Cody opened his eyes. I gasped. Were his eyes always that piercing blue?

  Then those blue eyes looked over to me and my stomach started doing the disco. I know that sounds crazy, but I swear that’s what happened.

  He tapped the tip of his Stetson, acknowledging me then turned to talk to Cowboy Wannabe.

  I frowned. Was he seriously going to ignore me?

  Okay, I had to admit that I’d been expecting him to be as excited to see me as I was to see him. I mean, what was I to think? I know he must’ve spent hours making the heart-shaped necklace he’d given me last year. It had to have meant something.

  I sighed and turned my attention back to the courtyard, searching for Mandi.

  I laughed when I spotted her, standing on top of the picnic table’s bench, waving frantically. You’d think that I would’ve spotted her right away given the pile of dark hair on her head, making her look taller than her petite size. Coming from LA, Mandi tried her best to keep up with what she considered to be the latest trends in fashion. I never knew what she was going to wear until lunchtime though. She always left the house with no makeup and a plain dress, making her look like she was twelve rather than seventeen.

  Today, it looked like she was going for the Pat Benatar look, wearing a green strappy blouse and black jeans rather than a dress. She wore matching green eye shadow across her lids with thick black eyeliner. I don’t think anyone else could pull off that kind of look the way she did. With her high cheekbones and flawless light caramel skin, she looked gorgeous.

  Though they should be used to the way she dressed, students passed by the table staring at her outfit. They knew better than to say anything though. She may be small but god help the person who took advantage of her small stature. She was a spitfire that didn’t take crap from anyone. It was good to see that her time spent in a small town like Koppe didn’t take that away from her.

  She was humming a Madonna song as she swirled a fry in a pool of ketchup. “La, la, la...virgin touched for the thirty-first time.”

  I plopped onto the bench, trying not to laugh. Mandi loved to sing but always got the lyrics wrong. I tried to correct her once. Yeah, not doing that again.

  I tried to distract myself by keeping busy and pulling my sandwich and soda from my bag, but I couldn’t help glancing over in Cody’s direction. He was still talking to Cowboy Wannabe.

  “Where were you?” Mandi asked.

  “What?” I quickly turned to her.

  Her dark eyes darted from me, then Cody, then back to me again. She grinned. “See anything you like over there?”

  Red alert! Red alert! Make something up.

  Mandi loved playing matchmaker. If she got wind that I was interested in Cody in any other way than friends, she’d march right up to him in front of the entire school and try to hook us up. And she’d keep at Cody until he gave in, regardless whether he was interested or not.

  “I was just wondering who the new guy is?”

  “Which new guy?”

  I took another peek at Cody.

  Crap! He’s looking at me!

  I felt my face flush and turned my attention back to Mandi. “Uh, there’s more than one new guy at school?”

  “Yeah, there’s Barry who’s talking with oh-my-god-he’s-so-totally-hot-I-can’t-take-my-eyes-off-him Cody.”

  I glared at her, and she gave me her sweetest smile. “And there’s some dude from New York named Dominic Marcelli. He’s in my AP calculus class.”

  Mandi was the smartest person I’ve ever met. While I was struggling through algebra and geometry, she was whizzing through advanced math courses. She was determined to be the first in her family to go to college and she needed a full scholarship to do it. I had no doubt she’d do it too. I, on the other hand, needed a miracle. My grades were average, and I could probably get into a local college, but there was no way I’d get a scholarship.

  She tossed a fry into her mouth. “Now about Cody...”

  “Is that all you’re eating?” I eyed the plate of greasy fries, trying to distract her from talking about him.

  She made a show of dipping a fry into the pool of ketchup and popping it into her mouth. “Nope, Buster Mills hasn’t come by yet.”

  Buster Mills was Mandi’s trading buddy. It was a strange relationship. Buster, like Cody, was a man of few words. The only difference was that nobody messed with Buster. The guy was huge. Not even Seth and his brothers would go near him. Fortunately, he loved the Tex-Mex food that Mandi brought for lunch, compliments of her mother’s great cooking. Mandi was a perpetual junk food eater, loving fries and pastries and was eager to trade away her lunch to feed her addiction. I don’t know how she did it. I merely looked at a fry and a zit would pop out.

  I bit into my apple as I eyed the fries and then up at Mandi’s flawless face. Some people were so lucky.

  “Oh my god! Cody’s heading over here.”

  My heart leapt into my throat. “Really?”

  “Don’t look!” She kicked me from under the table before I could turn.

  “Son of a biscuit eater! Why the hell did you kick me?”

  “You gotta play it cool.” She dug into the purse, tossing its contents onto the table: a Rubik’s Cube, bangle bracelets, make up, empty potato chip bags, and candy bar wrappers. “Here put these on,” she said handing me some of her bracelets.

  “Mandi, I don’t need props. Cody and I are just friends. Besides, he didn’t even write to me the entire time I was in Houston and—”

  There were two things that I saw that made me wish I had listened to Mandi and didn’t look over in Cody’s direction.

  One was Buster Mills heading toward our table with a tray full of pink party cake squares. He had a huge smile on his face as he eagerly walked to our table. The other was Lynette Baker gliding up to Cody with her boobs leading the way.

  Okay, make it three things I wish I hadn’t seen.

  Lynette’s long blonde hair was crimped and teased so high it looked like she was going to keel over from the weight of it at any minute. Her boobs must’ve created some balance for her. She wore a maroon and black-checkered shirt with the ends tied into a knot right beneath the two monstrosities. As she sauntered up to Cody in high heels, her hips swayed in her skintight jeans.

  My pulse raced when she placed a tiny, manicured hand on Cody’s chest. A perfectly red-polished finger, slid down his chest.

  He leaned into her as she whispered something into his ear. Whatever she said, it made his face flush a slight pink. His eyes flicked to me for a moment before he nodded at her and turned in the opposite direction.

  “That Lynette Baker,” Mandi growled. “She’s been trailing after Cody since last year. I can’t believe he’d fall for all that, especially when her cousins treat him like shit.” She stood up from the table.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind.”

  I tugged on her arm. “Sit back down, Mandi. It doesn’t matter. Besides, Buster’s coming.”

  “It does too. I thought he had more sense than to—ooh, it’s pink party cake day.”

  “Hey, Cassie. You’re back,” Buster said, placing his tray on the table. “Pink party cake?”

  I looked over at Lynette as she placed a possessive hand on Cody’s muscular arm and then down at the pile of pink confections.

  Aw, what the hell? I reached for a pink pastry and shoved it into my mouth as I watched Cody leave with Lynette.

  The gooey sweetness of the cake wasn’t hitting the off button to my feelings though. I could feel tears pricking my eyes. I jumped up from the bench and grabbed my things. It was stupid, really. I don’t know why I felt like crying.

  “I have to study. I’ll see you later.”

  “Cassie...”

  Mandi’s voice faded as I ran back into the building, heading for the girl’s restroom. It was nice and quiet in there. I needed time to think and pull myself together.


  “Well, look who’s back,” a deep voice said just as I was about to go in.

  Seth Baker flicked his cigarette onto the floor and pushed himself off the wall of lockers. His gray eyes slowly trailed over my body and then rested on my chest. For some reason, he made me feel like I was naked.

  I couldn’t believe he was still here. Hadn’t he graduated already? He had to be at least two years older than the rest of the seniors. He looked very much like his father, Sheriff Baker, the same dark blonde hair and muscular build. Most of all, he had the same cold expression his father gave to people who he saw as beneath him, as if they should be lucky that he’d given them the time of day.

  “Hi, Seth.”

  “Houston must’ve been good to ya. You look good. Learn anything special.” His hand reached out to touch my hair. Instinctively, I took a step back.

  He chuckled. “I ain’t gonna hurt you. Just admiring the goods. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that. Girls ’round here take it as a compliment.”

  “I gotta go. If you’ll excuse—”

  He slammed a palm on the door when I tried to open it. “Don’t you go running away from me. I just want to ask you a simple question.”

  Please don’t ask me out. Please don’t ask me out.

  When I visited Mandi last summer, she had told me the town gossip about Seth and the girls he’d dated. After a few dates, they were either suddenly pregnant or pulled themselves out of school for some unknown reason. By the expression on Seth’s face, I could pretty much guess what the reason was.

  “Let me take you to a movie Saturday night.” He leaned in, his breath hitting my face. “I’ll show you a good time.”

  “I...uh...I have to work Saturday,” I said, praying he’d believe the lie.

  “I’ll talk to ol’ Fletcher. He’ll let you off early.”

  I gulped. “I-I don’t know.”

  He laughed and leaned in, his finger worked its way to my collarbone and glided along my neck as he stared at my chest. “We don’t have to go to the movies. We can find other ways to entertain ourselves.”

  “Baker!”

  I sighed with relief at the sound of Cody’s voice. He stood in the middle of the hall with Lynette behind him. His blue eyes blazed as he eyed Seth’s hand hovering above my breast. He worked his jaw, tensing it as he waited.

  Seth scowled. “Mind your own business, Wilde.”

  “Knock it off, Seth,” Lynette said, walking around Cody. “The battery in my truck died and he’s trying to jump start it. You got jumper cables in your truck?”

  “Yeah, yeah. Don’t you and your boyfriend get your panties in a wad. I’ll get them,” he grumbled. Then he turned to me and whispered, “I’ll talk to you later.”

  He took his hand off the door and I flung it open, escaping inside. My sobs echoed in the empty restroom. I don’t know what I was crying more about: Seth Baker assaulting me with his eyes or Cody dating Lynette.

  NINE: Cassie

  “Uh, uh. I don’t believe it. There’s no way Cody’s going out with that skank, Lynette Baker.”

  The dozen bangle bracelets Mandi wore on each arm made a series of clinking sounds as she shifted her baby sister from one hip to the other.

  I’d only been working at the Piggly Wiggly for a few days and I already had the manager eyeballing me, waiting for an excuse to fire me. It didn’t help that Mandi came to the store every afternoon, bringing her sister and brother with her. I didn’t have the heart to ask her to stay away. Fortunately, today was pretty slow.

  I couldn’t blame her for wanting to get out. It was pretty crowded in the small house. Don’t get me wrong. I really appreciated Mandi’s mom and dad going out of their way to place a fold out bed in their laundry room so that I could have some privacy. But, when everyone was home, it could get pretty noisy. And as cute as Selina and Miguelito were, they were a handful.

  I felt bad at first that I had my own room when Mandi’s brother, Juan, had to sleep on the living room couch. Not that I’d really call it a room; it was more like a large closet with a washing machine and dryer. Juan told me that the living room was better than having to share a room with his younger siblings because then he’d actually have to change their diapers. That was something he absolutely refused to do.

  “No, Miguelito! That’s not a toy!” Miguelito gazed at me with those big brown eyes and waved a black Sharpie. Black dots outlined his face and arms.

  I glanced quickly toward the manager’s office and let out a breath of relief when I saw he wasn’t in there. I ran around the cashier’s counter.

  “I don’t really care who Cody is dating,” I said, taking the marker away from Miguelito. “Here, have a lollypop.” He giggled and ran down the aisle with the candy in his mouth.

  “Don’t run!” Mandi yelled. Then turning to me, she said, “Oh really?”

  “Yeah, really.” I avoided her intense stare. It was the look she always gave me when she thought I was holding something back from her.

  Okay, maybe I cared a little. But I wasn’t about to tell her that. It was best if I stopped thinking about Cody and focused on surviving my senior year. There was no way I could compete with a girl like Lynette.

  “Uh, huh,” she said, still looking at me skeptically. “I’ll let it go...for now. Anyway, your birthday’s coming up and mom wanted to know—Ow! Selina, stop pulling my hair—if you wanted to have a party. She wanted to get a piñata and I told her you were turning eighteen not eight. She insisted I ask you first.”

  “I’m not in the mood for any parties. I think I’m just going to ask Fletcher for an extra shift Friday night.” I didn’t even want to remember my birthday any more. It wasn’t a happy day like it used to be. How could it be? It was the day my entire world ended. It was the one day where the only thing I looked forward to was curling up into a ball and wishing I were with my dad.

  “Okay, no party, but I’m not going to let you just curl up with a pillow and cry the night away. Don’t give me that look.”

  “How did you—”

  “I know you better than you know yourself. We’re going to the football game Friday night and you’ll have a good time.”

  “I don’t know—wait, you’ve never been to a game, why now?”

  “Where have you been? Haven’t you heard?”

  “Heard what?”

  “Dillon Baker sucked so bad last year that the coach threatened to replace him, but none of the guys wanted to try out for his spot. Ha! Dillon thought he had it made for this year until Nic Marcelli showed up at summer tryouts. Coach is replacing his sorry ass and putting in Nic as starting quarterback. Ow! Selina not the earrings!” Mandi pulled her sister’s hand away from one of the large hoop earrings.

  “Nic Marcelli? You mean Dominic the guy in your AP class?”

  “Yeah.” Mandi suddenly busied herself by placing Selina in an empty grocery cart. She then fussed over the little girl’s hair, which was kept in perfect place with two tiny pigtails.

  Then it hit me.

  “Ooh, you like him.”

  Her face turned red. She continued messing with Selina’s hair. “I do not. He’s a pain in the ass.”

  “Uh, huh.” I leaned over the counter with my chin on the palm of my hand, thankful that the spotlight was on her rather than me for once. “Pray tell, my dear friend, how is he a pain?”

  “Ugh. Are you reading Shakespeare again? You always talk funny when you read Shakespeare.”

  I grinned. “Just answer the question.”

  “He keeps asking me out.”

  “Then go out with him.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  “Excuse me, young lady,” an elderly woman interrupted.

  “Oh, sorry about that.” Mandi moved the cart to the side, looking relieved.

  “Good afternoon,” I said to the woman as she placed her purchases onto the counter.

  “Don’t mind me. You girls keep talking.”

  “Damn,” Mandi muttered under her breat
h.

  “Well?” I asked Mandi as I rang up the woman’s groceries. I wasn’t about to let her off the hook. In all the time I’d known her, I’d never seen her embarrassed like she was now. She must really like this guy.

  “You haven’t seen him?”

  “Nope. I don’t have any classes with him and other than Barry, I didn’t notice anyone new at lunch.”

  “That’s because he goes home for lunch. Something about his mom and her poor health.”

  “A boy who takes care of his mother? Sounds like a good catch, dear,” the elderly woman said. “Why won’t you go out with him?”

  I watched with amusement when Mandi turned to the woman and tried to convince her why she shouldn’t go out with Nic. I could tell she was trying really hard because she kept waving her hands as if she was trying to get lift off.

  “There are so many reasons. Let’s see where should I start? He wears polo shirts with the pony on it. Who wears stuff like that? He drives a—ugh, gag me with a spoon—a BMW. He makes straight A’s in all his honor courses. He talks with a funny accent. He’s from New York for chrissake! Isn’t that bad enough?”

  “They can’t all be from Texas, dear.”

  “That’ll be $35.03,” I choked, trying hard not to laugh.

  “Just a minute, dear. I have some coupons.” The woman reached into her purse. “Is it double coupon day?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Anyway, as I was saying—”

  Mandi stopped in midsentence. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at the entrance of the Piggly Wiggly.

  There was a tall, athletic-looking boy wearing a royal blue polo shirt. He was classically beautiful with dark shaggy hair and full red lips. His pale skin was flawless. Following him was a very pretty, slender girl. Her dark hair was worn in a ponytail high on her head. It was tied with a red and white ribbon that matched the colors of her cheerleader uniform. Her skin was just as pale as his. No one in Texas had pale skin like that. They definitely looked like people from New York.